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Keira Knightley Reflects on ‘Love Actually’ Cue Card Scene: “I Always Thought It Was Quite Creepy”
Dec
Keira Knightley has always had her doubts about one of the most talked-about scenes in Love Actually—and it turns out, she voiced them while the cameras were rolling. The now-iconic cue card confession, where Andrew Lincoln’s Mark silently declares his love for Juliet (Knightley), has long been debated for its questionable romantic undertones. But for Knightley, the scene felt off from the start.
A “Slightly Stalkerish Aspect”
In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Knightley reflected on the moment, recalling that she instinctively found the setup unsettling during filming.
“My memory is of Richard [Curtis],” Knightley said, referring to the film’s writer and director, “of me doing the scene, and him going, ‘No, you’re looking at [Lincoln] like he’s creepy.'”
Knightley admitted that her response at the time was, “‘But it is quite creepy.’”
To deliver the intended take, Curtis had to redirect her performance: “We had to redo it to fix my face to make him seem not creepy.”
Mark: Sweet or Stalkerish?
The scene in question involves Mark, who shows up at Juliet’s home shortly after her wedding to his best friend (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor). Using handwritten cue cards, he reveals that he’s secretly in love with her, despite her being newly married.
While the scene has often been championed as a heartwarming declaration of unrequited love, others have increasingly criticized it for being invasive and, as Knightley put it, carrying a “slightly stalkerish aspect.”
Adding to the discomfort, Knightley noted the significant age gap between her and Lincoln during filming. “I mean, there was a creep factor at the time, right?” she said. “I knew I was 17. It only seems like a few years ago that everybody else realized I was 17.”
Andrew Lincoln and Richard Curtis Chime In
Knightley wasn’t alone in her reservations. Andrew Lincoln himself has previously described the scene as “borderline stalker territory,” recalling a conversation with Curtis. “I said, ‘Do you not think we’re sort of borderline stalker territory here?’ And he said, ‘No, no. Not with you playing it, darling. You’ll be alright.’”
Even Curtis has since come to terms with the scene’s divisive nature. Last year, he acknowledged to the Independent: “He actually turns up, to his best friend’s house, to say to his best friend’s wife, on the off chance that she answers the door, ‘I love you.’ I think it’s a bit weird.”
The Evolving Legacy of Love Actually
Though Love Actually remains a beloved holiday classic, its legacy has been complicated by changing perspectives on romance and boundaries. For Knightley, the moment remains a fascinating—and slightly uncomfortable—piece of her career. But if her instinctive reaction on set is any indication, she was always ahead of the curve.
